The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-07-20
STARVATION IN LABRADOR.
Thrilling Narrative of Want and Suffering
on This Rock-Round Coast.

Thrilling Narrative of Want and Suffering
on This bloodhound Coast.
Halifax IN. So Special.
Rev. Frank w. Colley, missionary at Labra-
dor. writes letter giving graphic account OF
heart-rendinR restitution prevailing there. He
has travelled the whole coast, and declares that
words cannot describe the sufferings of the
poor. He tells of families of helpless old people
and equally helpless children enduring the rigors
Of the late winter with the thermometer $50 be-
low zero living in huts, sleeping on bare ground,
rock cod the poorest kind Of Goldfish known,
and hard-tack supplied by the govern
ment To catch the fish the perish1ng people
hal to travel five miles over bare rocks. Bread,
tea, molasses, -four, meat of any kind or any of
the necessities Of life unknown to them.
Slow starvation had driven the father OF one
family mad and the poor wretch had been try
ing to eat his own boots The puny cod for
breakfast dinner and supper, weeks upou weeks
ard months upon months, while keeping the
poor wretches from actual death, only served to
be daily torture to them. and was OF itself
enough to drive the whole population into raw
ng manacs
missionary Colley declares that he was i'm
piored for help at every second house visited in
all the vast region. The inhabitants were driven
even had to sell their wedding rings for bread.
At Gradys Stable bay, Rocky bay Spotted isl-
and Seal island whole families were slowly
starving in January How they existed through
the winter God only knows. The scanty aid sent
by the Newfoundland government was distribu-
ted before half the winter was over. Dir. Colley
declares LnaL only rear OF Tepotitlou oA Tue Ter
rible suffering induces him now to make the ter
rible facts public
A large portion of the coast is sealed mp by ice
all winter long, and navigation at Cartwright,
the missionarys homo, closed in October last
and remained SO until the middle of June
1t is impossible for the few who have money
to get supplies in winter. The missionary him
self accompanied two men one hundred miles
over the rocky wilderness TO get two barrels of
four, but could not get them. Twenty miles
further on they got one barrel of the commonest
kind as a great favor by paying 80 So In times
past the people Of Labrador lived on the fat of
the land; game in variety and seals were abund-
ant. but now these also have failed The mis-
sionary concludes q three-column narrative by de-
manding in the name of humanity that the
Newfoundland government Immediately send re-
lief TO that district and also provide means for
transporting the wretched people to some other
country.
The official organ of the government of New
foundiand comments on the mssionarys revela-
tons as an honest and truthful account by one
VINO has shared the terrible privations OF the
people in the exercise of his sacred calling This
paper, which few months ago reIentiessiy
denied that any unusual distress existed at
Labrador, is now filled with astonishment 70
find that human beings should be able to pro-
long existence amid such suffering and want